JNUDPA has represented the perspective of the challenged community of JNU before visiting teams of UGC, JNU Executive Council, JNU Campus Development Committee and various other authorities of India. It has endeavored to make the authorities aware about the hardships, rights and plethora of other related issues which concerns the physically challenged persons. Whenever JNUDPA has approached the JNU authorities from 1999 onwards it has always found support in all possible respect by the JNU authorities and it is grateful for the support given to by the authorities.
Activities of JNUDPA:
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To make JNU campus more disabled friendly in all regards such as study, residence, movement etc.
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To fight for the permanent appointments of PH staffs working on contract, ad hoc and daily basis.
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To organize relevant seminar and special events like International Disabled Day etc.
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To conduct sports activities for the PH people.
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To look after the computers and cells specially reserved for PH persons.
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To provide study materials and equipments through Equal Opportunity Office to the visually challenged students like tbrail printers, scanners, and various other technical accessories.
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To help physically challenged persons to avail escort/reader allowance and other scholarships with handicapped friendly equipments
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To get reserved computers with internet facility for challenged JNUites in all centres, library and hostels
DISABLED FRIENDLY CAMPUS:
It was a continuous struggle for JNUDPA since its inception to make JNU campus more disabled friendly and the result is that JNU is now the most barrier free and disabled friendly university campus in India. But friends a lot more has to be done. In this regard, a personal experience becomes relevant. Pintu Kumar (Ph.D, SSS) came to JNU in 2004 in M.A. That time it used to be an adventurous journey and a Herculean task to scale the distance from Kaveri Hostel to School of Social Sciences crossing rocks, plants, bushes and ups and downs by tricycle. It was the perennial pressure on the authorities of JNU mounted by JNUDPA, which resulted in the construction of ramps connecting all centres in the year 2005. It is just the beginning and small achievement towards making JNU campus disabled friendly. Later, many ramps and railings have been constructed in possible places for easy accessibility but still there is lot to be done. We have made possible the availability of two wheelchairs in each school and in the central library as well.
We made possible the installation of speaking escalators in all schools and central library with the active cooperation with visually challenged students. The visually challenged persons were also facing problems in the form of the scattered parking of bikes and cars, which has been solved up to great extent by making many parking sheds but it is not completely done. There is also a need for some quick and concrete steps to solve the problem of stray dogs wandering on the roads which creates plenty of problems for visually challenged students.
CONVERSION OF TEMPORARY PH STAFFS INTO PERMANENT
We will strive for permanent appointment of all challenged staffs who are working in JNU on either ad-hoc or temporary basis. It is a story of many hardships with happiness. This issue is taken over by JNUDPA from the beginning and we can in a way say that it was also among one of the causes for the formulation of JNUDPA. These PH staffs do not get many of the facilities provided to other staffs because they work on ad hoc or as daily basis. This is also responsible for their pathetic family condition. We will fight till the successful end for their appointment as permanent staffs. So far as many as 11 of our friend have been appointed as permanent staffs on various posts. It vindicates the successful struggle of our fight.
Activities in the year of 2008
CELEBRATION OF WORLD DISABLED DAY 2008
It is the legacy of JNUDPA since its establishment onwards to celebrate World Disabled Day, December 3 with close cooperation with Equal Opportunity Office, JNU. It also provides a platform to discuss, evaluate and share information of the infrastructural development and further betterment of differently abled persons within campus. We have rejoiced World Disability Day 2008, on 9th December instead of 3rd December because of the peak hour of the semester work. The Equal Opportunity Office fully sponsored this small ceremony held in SSS-I Committee Room. On this occasion, Prof. Anand Kumar, CSSS/SSS accepted to be our guest speaker. Honorable authorities of JNU such as the Head of Equal Opportunity Office Prof. Milapchand Sharma, CSRD/SSS/JNU and The Assistant Registrar, Jeet Singh also graced the this function with their presence.
The celebration included following programmes:
- Welcome Address by Dr. S.S. Maitra (The President, JNUDPA)
- Disease and Disability: A Brief Note on the Genealogy of International Day of Persons with Disability by N. Annavaram (M.A., CSSS/SSS)
- Main Speech: The Chief Guest Prof. Anand Kumar (CSSS/SSS)
- Memento presentation to Prof. Anand Kumar by Sh. L. Kanniappan (The founding member of JNUDPA)
- Closing remarks by the Chair of the Session Prof. Milapchand Sharma (CSRD/SSS)
- Vote of thanks by Sandeep Singh (The Convener JNUVCF)
FELICITATION PROGRAMME OF SHREE L. KAANIAPPAN
JNUDPA organized a felicitation programme to acknowledge the untiring efforts of Shree. L. Kanniappan who retired from his services recently. Many distinguished personalities befitted the occasion with their presence. The head librarian of JNU library while gracing the occasion as the Chief Guest said that the efforts of Mr. Kanniapan have been a source of inspiration for everyone. JNUDPA is a brainchild of Mr. Kaaniapan. His fights and struggle has taken our JNUDPA to the present stage. We really feel that though he may be retired but he is not at all tired in his endeavored at all. Since the very time when JNU was in old campus he has been championing the cause the physically challenged. We honored him with a certificate of acknowledgement.
With the effort of JNUDPA, he has got an extension of services. We really look forward for his continuing helping hand and suggestion in the unborn days.
On this occasion, we have also reviewed our works in last year and then following issues founded unresolved for which we have geared up JNU authorities and ourselves:
- Construction of ramps connecting Sanskrit Centre and Exim Library
- Arrangement of accessibility for challenged persons to Cyber Library in the JNU Central Library
- Proper implementation of 3% reservation for PH
- Deputation of guards at points of barriors in between ramps and paths for the challenged persons
- To regularize daily wages telephone operators
- Arrangement of escalators in new hostels